This week was 54 miles of running, 1000 yards of swimming, and 6 "miles" of pool-running.
I didn't really feel like I needed any recovery time after the 15K, but I kept Monday and Tuesday easy anyway. One of my biggest priorities is avoiding injury, since it takes me so darn long to come back from one.
Instead of the track this week, I returned to Iwo Jima for hills. I need more power in my legs, and a session of hills always seems to help with that.
Saturday was the key workout of the week - another 2x5 miles at marathon effort with 1 mile float. This went much better than the last session - probably in part because I'm back on the medication that seems to work best for me. While I wish the paces of the marathon effort segments were faster, the paces I hit this weekend would get me well under 3:30 at Houston, which is really my biggest goal (3:30 being the high-performance standard for my para-athlete division at the Boston Marathon).
I registered for Houston hoping to go sub-3:20 there, but I'm probably not going to be in shape to pull that off in 4 weeks. However, the paces I hit on Saturday are consistent with sub-3:25, which I would be happy with (especially given where I was in September and October). And...the marathon effort miles truly felt like marathon effort - I could have kept going and extended the workout another few miles. That's a good feeling (and what I strive for during marathon effort workouts).
Saturday's workout was also notable for two things. First: it was extremely windy - sustained winds of 15-20 mph with gusts higher (the wind was mostly a cross wind for the workout, but occasionally a head or tail wind). So...in better weather the same effort might have yielded a pace that was a few seconds faster.
Second: I intentionally tried to err on the side of overdressing, as opposed to last weekend's race. And...I felt great and comfortable the whole run, never overheating. Definitely helpful information for deciding what to wear in the future.
I think that my increased cold sensitivity is due to a few things - one is simply age, and another is Parkinsons (PD really messes with one's ability to regulate body temperature, and it's pretty normal for people with PD to handle cold poorly). The third is simply that I'm slower than I used to be, which means that for each race I'm working at a lower intensity for a longer period of time. That in turn means that I'm not generating as much body heat as I used to.
The net conclusion: in the winter, I need to ignore both my ego and what worked best for me a few years ago and wear more clothing when racing.
Dailies:
Monday: 3 "miles" pool-running in the morning. Foam rolling in the evening.
Tuesday: 8.5 miles very easy (9:31) plus upperbody weights/core. Foam rolling in the evening.
Wednesday: In the morning, 7.5 miles including 7 Iwo Jima hill repeats (~2:20 up a 3% incline, 90-100 second jog; ~200m downhill stride, and 60 jog to the bottom of the hill. Followed with leg strengthwork. 3.5 miles very easy (9:35) on treadmill and foam rolling in evening.
Thursday:7 miles very easy (10:38) on trails in the morning. Foam rolling in evening.
Friday: 10.5 miles very easy (9:40) plus two strides and upper body weights/core. Foam rolling in evening.
Saturday: 17 miles, including a workout of 2x5 miles at marathon effort - splits of 38:30 (7:42 pace) for first 5 miles and 38:40 (7:44 pace) for the second 5 miles; 1 mile in 8:44 between. Followed with leg strengthwork and foam rolling.
Sunday: 1000 yards of swimming and 3 "miles" of pool-running. Foam rolling in evening.
[one more late post - I'll blame racing on Sunday, followed by kitten adoption. I don't like to write the weekly log until I've written the race report. And with my current schedule, if I don't get the blog done by Sunday night, it basically doesn't get done until next weekend.]
This week was 46 miles of running, 500 yards of swimming, and 2 "miles" of pool-running.
Just a placeholder for race week.
Dailies:
Monday: In the morning, 7 miles very easy (9:33) on the treadmill. Foam rolling in the evening.
Tuesday: 9 miles, including a track interval workout of 1600, 4x800, 400 in 7:38, 3:39, 3:36, 3:33, 3:30, 1:44. 3:31 recovery after the 1600 and 2:00-2:30 recovery after the 800s. PT session in the afternoon and sports massage in evening.
Wednesday: 500 yards swimming and 2 "miles" pool-running. Foam rolling in evening.
Thursday:6 miles very easy (9:32) plus strides in the morning. Streaming pilates and foam rolling in evening.
Friday: 6 miles on the track, including 1600m up tempo in 7:01. Foam rolling in evening.
Saturday: 4 miles very easy to pick up bib (9:38) in the morning; foam rolling in the afternoon.
Sunday: A bit over 3 miles warm-up, then 15K race in 1:10:11 (7:32 pace if this was 15K), followed by 1.5 mile cooldown to make 14 miles for the day.
I ran the Jingle All the Way 15K last weekend, finishing in an official time of 1:10:11.
[this race report is being written very late. That's what happens when a newly adopted kitten takes up all of your free time.]
This race was my tune-up for Houston, and a chance to check my fitness. I prefer a half-marathon 3 weeks out from a marathon, but Houston always falls 3 weeks after Christmas/New Years, and half-marathons are hard to come by at that time of year. Hence using this 15K 5 weeks out instead.
It's been a tough uphill climb trying to rebuild my fitness after missing 8 weeks of training this summer. The older you get, the harder it is to come back (and to stay uninjured while coming back) and so being over 50 weighs against me. The whole Parkinsons' thing doesn't help either. And then there was the two weeks of reduced training while Isabella was sick.
I had been doubting my fitness all the way up to the week before the race, when it seemed like things were possibly starting to turn around. Hopefully the race would give me a better read on things.
***
The forecast was for temps right about freezing, with overcast skies and light wind. I debated what to wear before opting for a longsleeve and tights. I've realized in the past year that I don't run well when I'm cold anymore - I become way too stiff. However, given that 32 degrees used to be singlet, arm-warmers, and shorts weather for me, I've been reluctant to wear too much when racing. A longsleeve and tights seemed like the most I could reasonably wear while racing, so I went with that.
***
I arrived at my supah-secret parking space at 7:15 am (the race started at 8:30). I put on my racing shoes (Hoka Rocket X2) waited a few minutes and then left my car to head over to the start line. I was wearing a throwaway sweatshirt over my racing outfit - I'd tie that around my waist if I was too hot while warming up, but plan on keeping it until right before the gun.
As it turned out, I never felt warm during my warm-up, even with the sweatshirt on. I wished I had brought something else - a light jacket or even just a buff for my neck, but unfortunately I hadn't. So I had to go with what I had.
***
I attempted to warm up for a bit over 3 miles, including my fartlek of 3 minutes at tempoish effort, 4x30 seconds faster, and 4x10 second strides. After that was done, I kept jogging until it was time to jump into the corral - hoping that would keep me warm.
This was a relatively small race (about 1000 runners) so I was able to get in the corral about 4 minutes before the start. I placed myself conservatively, knowing that I would start slow. With 1 minute to go, I reluctantly tossed the sweatshirt.
***
I hadn't thought about it until right before the race, but this 15K was the first time I've been in a mass race start since May. I've raced since then, but it's all been either track stuff or races where I was in a separate para-athlete start. I was pleasantly surprised by how well I handled the chaos of the first few minutes of an open start - all that PT is paying off.
I was definitely still stiff, though. I worked my way through the first mile, and then the second, waiting to warm up and loosen up. But I never did. It was frustrating - I wasn't breathing very hard - I was just too cold and stiff to move faster.
That was pretty much the whole race. I crossed the line feeling like I had done a moderately paced workout, not a race. And I wasn't even sweating.
I checked my watch and noted my time - over 70 minutes and also my very low heart rate (in the 160s - I'd want to be in the 170s over this distance). I caught up with some friends, retrieved a polarfleece I had checked at the start, and then jogged a 15 minute "cooldown" that felt way too energetic.
Splits ended up being:
Mile 1: 7:51
Mile 2: 7:35
Mile 3:7:26
Mile 4: 7:13
Mile 5: 7:20
Mile 6: 7:21
Mile 7: 7:20
Mile 8: 7:27
Mile 9: 7:17
last .44 miles at 7:26 pace
[I used my Strava splits for this as the mile markers were not terribly accurate on this course. The 15K is supposed to be a certified course, but the route was altered for construction. So I'm not entirely sure whether this was an exact 15K, or longer, or shorter. Not that it matters that much, since I was nowhere near a PR.]
So...I feel like I didn't get a good fitness check out of this race. I guess the one good bit of news is that holding 7:26-7:30 pace for 9+ miles didn't feel very hard - that's better than having run that pace and feeling like it was a maximum effort. But..my A goal for Houston was to break 3:20 (7:37 pace), and it seems pretty clear that I'm not that fit. I guess I'll need another few months (and another training cycle) to get there.
Other notes:
It ended up being 33 degrees with a light wind for the race. So pretty good weather - I just wasn't dressed correctly.
I wore the Hoka Rocket X2 for this race - I think this is definitely my marathon shoe, assuming it doesn't rain at Houston.
I ended up second in the 50-54 age group, 22nd woman overall.
As I noted above, we have a new kitten, named Karma. I picked her up a few hours after finishing this race. In fact, I was time crunched enough that I didn't have time to shower and change before picking her up, which means that the photo of me taking her home has me all bedraggled, with my face still shiny with vaseline. Oh well - everyone was looking at the kitten anyway :)
[once again posted very late because the week got away from me]
This week was 64 miles of running, 2000 yards of swimming, and 2 "miles" of pool-running.
I mixed stuff up this week to try to work around weather - we had some really cold dry air roll in, which is hard on my asthma. Thursday looked like the best morning from a breathing perspective, so I did my tempo workout that morning, pushing my interval workout back to Monday to accommodate it. I did the Monday workout on the treadmill because of the cold dry air, which meant that I did my intervals at slightly faster than tempo pace with short recoveries, rather than at interval effort (this was because the treadmill is extra hard on my calves, and I was minimizing the risk of a pulled calf).
Thursday was a tempo outside on the track - the weather was iffy (windy and with a tiny bit of snow). The tempo felt solid but was slightly slower than I had hoped - I attributed this to the weather.
I thought Saturday and Sunday were both going to be very cold mornings, so I did my long run on Saturday so I could do a track workout with the team on Tuesday (as it turned out, I guessed wrong, and Sunday's weather was much better). The long run went well. I would have liked for the marathon effort section to be faster; however, I ran that section on the downhill Capital Crescent, and true to my norm I was slower on the downhill section than on the flat. Overall, I felt better than I have previously on the downhill section, so that was a positive.
Dailies:
Monday: In the morning, 9 miles on the treadmill, with a workout of 6x4 minutes on (7:17 pace) with 72 second jog, followed by 4x30 seconds hard (6:4o-7:00 pace) with 90 seconds jog. Leg strengthwork in the afternoon; foam rolling in the evening.
Tuesday: Upperbody weights/core + 500 yards swimming in the morning; 6 miles very easy (9:39) in evening.
Wednesday: Streaming yoga and 10 miles very easy (9:08). Foam rolling in evening.
Thursday:10 miles on the track, with a 6400m tempo in 29:42 (7:31/7:27/7:24/7:19). Leg strengthwork in afternoon and foam rolling in evening.
`
Friday: 7 miles very easy (9:34) on the treadmill plus upperbody weights/core. Foam rolling in evening.
Saturday: 21 miles progressive, split as the first 7 miles averaging 9:43 pace, the next 7 miles averaging 8:56 pace, and then the next 7 miles averaging 7:58 pace. Followed with a ~half mile cooldown and injury prevention work plus foam rolling.
Sunday: 1500 yards swimming and 2 "miles" pool-running.
This week was 64 miles of running, 1500 yards of swimming, and 1 "mile" of pool-running -- training log is here.
I stuck with the new medication - Crexont - for most of this week. But after an extremely frustrating long run on Friday where I simply had no power in my legs, I swapped back to Rytary to see if I felt better. And I did. Despite the fact that Saturday ushered in our first sub-freezing temps of the season, the cold bothered me much less than it had just a day before. And it also became clear to me during pilates, swimming, running, and lifting just how much more power my muscles have on Rytary.
So that's that, I guess. I'll see if my doctor wants me to try another strength of the Crexont, but at this point I'm inclined to stick with the Rytary through Houston in January and then take a second try at something new.
In the meantime, we're getting a surge of very cold, dry air over the next week, so I'll be doing many of my runs on the treadmill to let my lungs breathe air that's slightly warmer and not as dry (note how I avoided typing "moist"). I split today's run into two so that I could do a few miles on the treadmill to get a feel for it. And it felt like coming back to an old friend. Now I just need to get some good running music cued up.
I also started carefully adding pool-running back in with a single 10 minute "mile" on Saturday. My obturator sadly did feel slightly achy after even that, so I think I will need to tread carefully here.
Monday: 4 miles very easy (10:04) and 4 miles very easy (9:54) (runs before and after meeting a friend for coffee); foam rolling in the evening.
Tuesday: 11 miles, including a track workout of 4800, 3200, 1600 in 22:27 (7:36/7:28/7:23), 14:44 (7:25/7:18), and 7:11, with recoveries of 5:08 and 5:11. Followed with leg strength work. Foam rolling in evening.
Wednesday: Streaming yoga and 7 miles very easy (10:48) on trails. Massage in evening.
Thursday:11 miles very easy (10:08) plus two strides, plus some upperbody strengthwork. Foam rolling after Thanksgiving dinner.
`
Friday: 17 miles, including an attempted marathon effort workout of 2x5 miles in 39:06 (7:49) and 39:45 (7:57) with 9:19 jog in between. Foam rolling in evening.
Saturday: Streaming pilates, 1500 yards of swimming, and 1 "mile" of pool-running. Foam rolling in evening.
Sunday: 5 miles very easy (9:40) on treadmill in the morning; 5 miles with a few relaxed 200s and 100s (53-55 seconds and 26-27 seconds) at midday. Upper body weights/core and foam rolling in afternoon.
This week was 59 miles of running and 1500 yards of swimming -- training log is here.
Definitely some ups and downs this week. Starting on Sunday of last week, I switched one of my Parkinson's meds from Rytary to Crexont. They're both the same active ingredient, just on different release schedules, with Crexont reportedly lasting much longer per dose.
But of course, finding the right dose of any Parkinsons medication is always trial and error, and every time I switch medications I have to restart the iterative process to figure out what strength and timing works best for me.
I was given two possible strengths of Crexont and told to try both and see which worked better. I started with the higher dose (210) and for the most part liked it. However, I did feel like I had possibly lost some power in my muscles. Tuesday's workout went fairly well, but then I really struggled on Friday - I simply could not move my legs. Admittedly, Friday was also one of the first bitterly cold days of the season, and I find I handle cold poorly as I get older.
So..I decided to try the lower dose of Crexont (140) on Saturday morning. And it was pretty clear within about 2 miles that the higher dose was better. My ankles were locked up at the start of the run, and never totally loosened. Saturday's run was really about getting the miles in and some time on my feet, so not being able to run fast wasn't that big a deal. But it's definitely clear that I need to be on the higher dose. And perhaps we need to go even higher.
Independent of the medication experimentation, I did bump my miles up this week, which was exactly what I needed.
Speaking of mileage - I am concerned that eliminating pool-running from my regimen has lowered my total volume too much - even if I get back to 65-70 miles a week, that's without the 2+ hours of pool-running that used to supplement that mileage each week. I want to carefully re-introduce pool-running to see if I can start doing some miles there without re-aggravating my hip. I think the trick is going to be to start adding it in 10 minutes at a time.
Monday: 7 miles very easy (9:36) in the morning; yoga in the afternoon; foam rolling in the evening.
Tuesday: 10 miles, including a track workout of 7x800, 2x200 in 3:44, 3:42, 3:37, 3:33, 3:31, 3:32, 3:30, 52, and 52 with recoveries of 1:5x-2:2x between the 800s and full recovery for the 200s. Followed with leg strength work.
Wednesday: 7 miles very easy (9:52) very easy to the gym; upper body strength/core, then 3 miles very easy home (9:30) + two hill sprints. Foam rolling at night.
Thursday:4.5 miles very easy on trails in the morning (11:33). Yoga and foam rolling in evening.
`
Friday: 9.5 miles, including a track tempo of 6400m in 30:53 (7:54/7:41/7:39/7:39). Foam rolling in evening.
Saturday: 18 miles, mostly at easy pace, but with a gentle fartlek (10x2:00 at marathon effort, 5:00 easy) in the second hour. Followed with injury prevention work. Foam rolling in evening.
Sunday: Streaming pilates and 1500 yards of swimming. Foam rolling in afternoon.
This week was 35 miles of running, and 3000 yards of swimming -- training log is here.
I was really trashed after the Boston Half - more than I normally am after a half-marathon. I suspect this was due in equal parts to the course and to my lack of fitness going into the race.
I spent both Monday and Tuesday in the pool to give my legs a break before starting running again on Wednesday. This weekend's long run would have been 17 miles with 2x5 miles at marathon effort, but I cut two miles off to make it 15 miles with 2x4. Even so, I could still feel the fatigue in my legs, though very high winds didn't help my paces either. However, the effort felt right and my heart rate was right where it should have been when running at marathon effort.
I personally believe that, when targeting a marathon, training at marathon effort is far more important than training at goal marathon pace. This is because you are trying to develop a certain physiological capacity, and training at an effort that is too hard doesn't accomplish that. You end up strengthening a different system that can't carry you all the way through the marathon. And it's also important to get a good sense of marathon effort, so that you can adjust automatically to changes in conditions on race day.
As of Sunday, my legs are feeling far better than last week. Hopefully I'll be able to bump up the volume this week.
Monday: 1000 yards of swimming and foam rolling.
Tuesday: 750 yards of swimming in the morning; massage in the evening.
Wednesday: 5 miles very easy (10:06) in the morning; PT in the afternoon, foam rolling at night.
Thursday:7 miles very easy (9:50) + two strides in the morning. Streaming pilates and foam rolling in evening.
`
Friday: 8 miles very easy (10:50) on trails plus upperbody weights/core. Foam rolling in evening.
Saturday: 15 miles, including a workout of 2x4 miles at marathon effort (splits were 31:42 and 31:44 - each averaged 7:56 pace), plus a mile between in 9:10. Followed with injury prevention work.
Sunday: 1250 yards of swimming and streaming yoga. Foam rolling in afternoon.
This week was 40 miles of running, 2 miles of hiking and 1000 yards of swimming -- training log is here.
Belated placeholder for race week. Next week I'll catch up.
Monday: 4 miles very easy (9:32) and foam rolling + graston on back.
Tuesday: 6 miles with fartlek (warmed up for track, then pushed back a day) plus upper body weights/core. Foam rolling in evening.
Wednesday: 8 miles on the track, including a careful workout of 2x800, 1600, 2x800 in 3:45, 3:40, 7:16, 3:37, and 3:33. 2:4x recovery after the 800s and 5:16 recovery after the 1600. Massage in evening.
Thursday:2 miles hiking and 1000 yard swimming in morning. Streaming pilates and foam rolling in evening.
`
Friday: 5 miles on the track, including an uptempo 1600 in 7:26, followed by flying to Boston. Foam rolling at night.
Saturday: 2 miles very easy (9:48) and foam rolling.
Sunday: 2 mile warm-up and then a half marathon in 1:42:21. Flew home that afternoon.
I ran the Boston Half on Sunday (previously known as the BAA Half) in an official time of 1:42:21, which was good enough for the win in the women's T35-38 division and 10th in my age group.
This race wasn't originally on my calendar for this year, but after I learned that the BAA offered the T35-38 division at all four of its races this year, I decided to try to make it work somehow. Initially that mean that I would run the Boston Half a few weeks after my goal fall marathon - Twin Cities. But then I hurt my hip in July and pivoted to Jacksonville in early December for my fall marathon, with the Boston Half falling in the final weeks of marathon training - just about perfect timing.
It was a great plan, but my hip took longer to clear up than I expected, and I wasn't able to start workouts until September. Which meant that I pushed my fall marathon back again to January (Houston). I still had a few weeks to build a bit of fitness for the Boston half, but the illness and then loss of my cat Isabella distracted me from serious training for another two weeks.
Had this race not involved Boston and the BAA and the T35-38 divisions, I honestly would have DNSed - I simply wasn't ready to race a half, and I had some concerns about re-aggravating either this summer's hip injury or a more recent back issue. But it's really important to me to show up for the T35-38 divisions whenever they are offered. The fact that these divisions exist and are competitive is hugely influential for those recently diagnosed with a neurodegenerative condition. In a new world packed with messaging that competitive sports and an active life are now out of reach, these divisions are a strong statement to the contrary that resonates far beyond the running community.
So....any time the BAA offers the T35-38 division and I am able to compete, I am there.
***
The BAA has high performance standards for their para divisions, and my 1:34 at One City earlier this year met their standard for the women's T35-38 division, making me eligible for their professional para-athlete program. I've been fortunate enough to be an elite at some races in what I now refer to as the "before" times - that experience generally meant a comped entry, a tent at the start with a separate bag check, maybe a hospitality room, and possibly the opportunity to place bottles out on course. This was completely different.
Oh, yeah
I was picked up at the airport by a black car and transported to a high end hotel in downtown Boston. Both Friday and Saturday a hospitality room offered with lunch catered each day by...Chipotle (I am not making this up).
Saturday also featured an opportunity for the professional field to visit View Boston. My pictures don't quite do it justice (it was pretty cool). I wish I could have stayed longer, but I had a half-marathon to race the next day, so I needed to get off of my feet.
***
The rest of Saturday involved shopping, a mandatory shoe/logo/kit check, and a technical briefing. The shopping was actually a consequence of the logo/kit check. I knew that my race shoes complied with World Athletics rules. However, I didn't realize until I reviewed the weekend schedule on Friday night that the outfit I wore on race day also had to be World Athletics compliant. A total newbie error, and my bad for not looking sooner (in my defense, I've had a lot going on the last few weeks).
On Saturday morning I dug up the relevant World Athletics rules (rule C7.4, if you are interested - download it here). I had brought both a singlet and a long sleeve to wear, depending on the weather on race morning. Both had the Capital Area Runners logo - an image of the Capitol* building and the team name - across the front. Under my read of Rule C7.4, Capital Area Runners was a "Club" and so the logo was allowed as long as it was less than 10 cm high (if CAR was a "Sponsor" it would be subject to a 5 cm height limit and a 10 cm length limit).
[*yes, the proper spelling is CapitAl when referring to the city of Washington, DC and CapitOl when referring to the building where Congress meets. It's one way we haze the non-native Washingtonians.]
The next problem was that I didn't have a tape measure or ruler with me. However, my cell phone was 7 cm wide. Using that as a rough gauge, it looked like my team long sleeve was illegal but the team singlet was under the 10 cm height limit. I emailed my coach to ask if the singlet was legal for World Athletics. He wasn't sure about the singlet (our crop tops were WA legal, but that was of no use to me at the moment).
Since I wasn't confident my cell-phone estimate of the CAR logo height would survive a challenge, I ran over to Dick's Sporting Goods and bought a thin long sleeve in the proper shade of red. That evening, my singlet was indeed rejected by the powers that be, so I presented the logo-free long sleeve (a smart attorney knows when to pivot rather than appeal). That was accepted and I was good to go.
The upside was that I no longer had to choose between singlet-with-arm-warmers or long sleeve - the decision had been made for me. The downside was that I was breaking the "nothing new on race day rule," but it was what it was.
***
With my racing outfit set, I attended the technical meeting and then went back to my room for my traditional early pre-race bedtime. I'd like to say I slept well, but my hotel floor included many guests celebrating Diwali into the late evening at a volume that blasted through my earplugs. And of course, just as I drifted off I had to wake back up to take my overnight Rytary dose. Oh well - it's the sleep two nights before a race that matters the most.
I rolled out of bed at 4:15, ate my pre-race breakfast, listened to some music at the same rhythm as a half-marathon (Sisters of Mercy - Lucretia, My Reflection), and did my pre-race stretching/working out of muscle knots before heading down to the lobby at 5:45 to catch the 6 am buses to the start. At 6:15 my watch chimed and I took the dose of Rytary that would carry me through the warm-up and race.
Pre-race music: I've been on a Sisters of Mercy
kick for some reason lately...
Once in the para-athlete tent at the start, I dropped off my stuff, chatted briefly with some of the other para-athletes (including all of the T35-38 division) and headed out to warm up. A BAA official asked me to stay close to the tent, so I jogged back and forth on a strip of pavement about 150m, which was more than adequate for my needs.
From left to right: myself, Joe, Dave, and Sara, all competing in the T35-38 division.
My warm-up for a half-marathon is generally around 3 miles. But that's assuming I'm reasonably fit. I was seriously concerned about my ability to complete this distance at racing effort, given the hills and my minimal post-injury training, so I limited my warm-up to just under 2 miles with 3 minutes of up tempo running and one stride. Better to go out too cold than to wear out my legs before the race.
Then I headed back to the tent to get walked to the start. It was a cold morning (mid-30s) that felt even colder after a too-warm DC fall, and my feet were blocks of ice. I took a moment to be grateful for the tights and long sleeve I would be racing in, while also filing a mental note to wrap KT tape over the uppers of my shoes next time (really helps keep the toes warm).
Like a well oiled machine, the wheelchair racers went off, then the elite men. The elite women were next, and then the para field started 30 seconds after, with a 3 minute gap between us and the open field.
***
I had studied the course (link to course map/profile) and so I knew it was basically downhill for the first miles before rolling through the middle miles. Starting at mile 8, we would return uphill. The worst climb would be after mile 11, followed by more rolling hills. Unquestionably a course to race for place rather than time. What I didn't know was just how steep the hills were.
The first mile answered that question, as we continued to drop and drop. I've been working a lot in PT on my balance when running downhill, and I noted (with some pride) that my downhill running was much improved as compared to this spring. Which doesn't mean I ran downhill well...I was still dropped by a large chunk of the para field, including all of the other runners in the T35-38 division (two men and one woman - Joe, Dave, and Sara). I kept one mental eye on them, while the rest of my focus was on my own form - trying to relax and look up and forward while my legs extended behind me and my hips rolled to each side.
***
Just as I was passing the first mile marker, the leaders of the open field passed me. They heralded a trickle that would grow to a stream and then a river of faster runners. Being passed from behind usually really screws up my running gait - it's a combination of the motion around me throwing off my balance and the noise temporarily breaking my concentration. But I handled it surprisingly well this time around. I suspect part of the credit goes to all of my PT work over the last few weeks; the course also had plenty of room for all of us, which helped a lot.
About 1.5 miles in, my gait started working and I was able to start racing. I had lost sight of both Sara and Joe - meaning they each had at least a minute on me, but I could see Dave in the distance, so I used him as my first focus. I increased my effort cautiously, staying somewhere between half-marathon and marathon effort over the rolling hills. I knew that the course was net uphill after mile 8, and that at mile 11 we would climb back up the big hill we had just descended. I needed to have plenty left in the tank for the last third of the race.
***
I inched up to and past Dave, and then saw Joe in the distance. Slowly he drew closer, and then I passed him just after the 5K mark, with Joe kindly offering some encouraging words as I passed. Now I needed to catch Sara - she was the runner I was most focused on, since the T35-58 division was divided by sex for awards.
I couldn't see her anywhere ahead of me, and so I was tempted to speed up to try to find her. Reminding myself that we still had nearly 10 miles to go in this race, with many of them uphill, I recommitted to my measured effort. If I hadn't caught her by mile 8 or so, then I'd get aggressive.
It was the right choice, as I spotted her a few minutes later. By the time we hit the first turn-around point (around mile 4.5) her lead on me was down to 30 seconds (I measured by counting the seconds from a) when she and I ran past each other to b) when I hit the turn-around, and then multiplying by 2). Holding my steady effort, I reeled her in and then had the lead. For the T35-38 division, at least. Open runners were still streaming past me.
The next miles were about finding a steady rhythm and other runners nearby to chase while clicking off mile markers over the rolling hills. By mile 7 I was ready to stop running, which was worrisome. But...the race wasn't done yet, so I just focused on my effort rather than the miles.
At mile 9 we started climbing again, and I was grateful I had stayed conservative. With only 4 miles to go, I tried to pick up the effort, but my legs were lead. The last few miles felt much more like marathon slogging than half-marathon hammering. My aerobic system wasn't working terribly hard, but my legs had nothing left. Finally, mercifully, I hit the final climb to the finish line. I stumbled across and was done.
Stopping my watch, I noted a time of 1:42:19 (ended up being 1:42:21 official). A new personal worst for the half-marathon distance, but I was actually OK with it (albeit a bit bummed that I didn't even break 1:40, which was the comp standard for my division). I had left it all out there and run the best race I had in me and snagged the division win; the time was simply a consequence of being out of shape and rusty while racing a tough course.
Splits were:
Mile 1: 8:51
Miles 2-3: 15:59
Mile 4: 7:28
Mile 5: 7:33
Mile 6: 7:49
Mile 7: 7:45
Mile 8: 7:33
Mile 9: 7:35
Mile 10: 7:49
Mile 11: 7:43
Mile 12: 7:44
Mile 13: 7:41
last bit: 52 seconds.
Because of my struggles running downhill, I actually negative split this race, despite the course. That amuses me.
My time was good enough for the win in the women's T35-38 division, as well as 10th in my age group. Since it was a cold morning, the BAA did the awards on a rolling basis - calling us up to the stage within about 10 minutes of crossing the line. I much appreciated the opportunity to get back to my hotel and a hot shower quickly. This was followed by a nice lunch at a nearby restaurant, and then a car ride back to Logan for my flight back to DC. Overall, a great weekend, and I'm very grateful to the BAA for the opportunity.
Other notes:
The weather ended up being 34 degrees at the start, and 48 degrees by the time I ended. Wearing a thin longsleeve and thin tights, I was slightly cold in the early miles, and slightly warm in the final miles. Ultimately I think this was the right thing to wear. Before Parkinsons, this would have unquestionably have been shorts and singlet+arm-warmers weather. But I find now that my legs get extremely stiff if they are chilled at all, and my torso doesn't fare much better. So it's always best to risk being a bit too warm at the end of a race.
As a para-athlete, I was asked to stay on the right side of the road - this of course meant that I couldn't run the tangents. So it's not at all surprising that my Garmin showed a distance of 13.31 for the full race. While some of that was Garmin error, some was also simply running wide on a wide course. I'm not complaining - starting ahead of the main field and staying off to the side of the course are simply part of competing in the para division, in much the same way that not being able to wear a big logo is part of competing in the professional field. But I think it does add a small bit onto my time. Which is why it's also great to run some races in the open field, where I can start with those of similar pace, run the tangents, and go for my fastest time.
This race felt much more like miles 10-23 of a marathon than a half, in terms of both aerobic effort during the race and how much it beat up my legs (especially my quads). The good news is this was a good effort to kick off marathon training. If I can hold this effort for a full 26 miles on a flatter course, I should have a good shot of cracking 3:20, which is my goal for Houston.
I debated whether to wear the Vaporfly 3 or the Rocket X2 for this race. The Vaporfly feels more nimble and has better traction, but is less stable or forgiving of slower paces. The Rocket X2 is also a fast shoe and much more stable at all paces, but is slick on wet pavement. For this race, with a lot of downhill and dry pavement, I think the Rocket X2 was the right choice. Had the race been flat, I think the Vaporfly might have been better.
Obligatory photo of bib and trophy. My blog, my bragging.
